Discover My Family

Professional family history research by Clive Andrews

About me

I am an experienced family historian who has been undertaking genealogical research, part-time or full-time, for nearly 40 years.

When I started, no one had even dreamt about the internet or knew what a data CD was.  The only way to conduct research was by painstaking examination of original documents, transcriptions and indices. I have vivid memories of standing for hours in the galleries of Somerset House in the Strand in London lugging down from the shelves enormous leather-bound books of vellum!

Today the internet provides access to massive amounts of family history material much, though not all, reliable and accurate.  Some is available at no cost while a growing amount is only accessible to those who pay a fee.  Nevertheless, much essential material can still only be found in County Record Offices and other document repositories spread across the United Kingdom.  Researching family history using only the internet is like trying to cultivate a garden using only a hand trowel – you just can’t dig deep enough!   I believe in using the best of the new and the old.  

Research on the internet or on data CDs provides a quicker and more cost-effective way of accessing some material than consulting the original documents, although getting the best from them requires a good understanding of the records as well as knowing which web sites are available.  But searching in the documents themselves still provides the backbone of good quality genealogical research particularly before the 1840s.

I have accumulated a large library of resources and regularly visit document repositories in London, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire.  I have had two books published as well as numerous articles, both on genealogy and education.

Please click HERE to read one of the articles I've written for Family Tree Magazine.

You can be sure that any research I do for you will be undertaken efficiently and in the most cost-effective way.

I am also available to give illustrated talks on various aspects of family history to interested groups.

Clive Andrews BD AKC FRSA

01452 530 137

candrews@discovermyfamily.co.uk